Hybrid conversion for Gothenburg service ship

The conversion of Northern Skagerrak will complete during the second quarter of 2022 and will see the ship run mostly on electric power with an auxiliary engine running hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), saving 680 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

The Northern Skagerrak will collect oily engine room waste, known as sludge, from ships arriving at the Port of Gothenburg. When the invitation to tender for sludge collection was issued, the port’s climate objectives were used as a starting point with reducing carbon emissions one of the main criteria used when assessing potential service providers.

“Our aim at the Gothenburg Port Authority is to reduce carbon emissions at the port by 70% by 2030,” said Erik Waller, deputy harbour master at the Gothenburg Port Authority. “Northern Skagerrak will serve around 6,000 incoming ships each year and the conversion to hybrid operation will be a significant step in the right direction,” he added 

All ports in Sweden are obliged to receive sludge – wastewater containing a mixture of oil residue, cleaning agents and solvents – from ships arriving at the port. The sludge is transported to a purification plant where oil and contaminants are separated from the water.